Pokemon Fan Maxes Out Pokewalker After 7 Years
By AJ Caulfield 16 March 2017
One Pokemon player truly has become the very best. At least at hitting the maximum amount of steps able to be recorded on the Pokewalker pedometer, that is. Japanese Twitter user Suica has been carrying around the Pokewalker since its release seven years ago, alongside Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, and finally maxed it out completely.
Suica’s Pokewalker reached a staggering 9,999,999 steps earlier this week, and when the milestone was achieved, a special message appeared on-screen. “Congratulations!!” (おめでとう!！or omedetou!! in Japanese) popped up on Sucia’s pedometer. Inside the game, another congratulatory statement surfaced. The device stated, “You finally achieved 9,999,999 steps on your Pokewalker!” Though its no two-hour Resident Evil 7 speed-run, it’s still an accomplishment worth celebrating.
The Pokemon enthusiast took to Twitter to announce completion of the goal. Suica shared a celebratory photo with a caption that can roughly be translated to English as, “Finally, after seven painful years, the maximum value in the Pokewalker has been achieved.”
苦節7年、ついにポケウォーカーカンスト達成！！ pic.twitter.com/0B87m0jrNF
— スイカ (@suica_pokeca) March 14, 2017
While an impressive feat nonetheless, Suica’s max-out isn’t actually the first to happen on the Pokewalker. Back in 2013, another user topped the number of total steps, and did it in less than half the time it took Sucia to. It took just three years for YouTuber Brian Salguero to trek the 9,999,999 steps required to receive the messages and the satisfaction of maxing out the game and the device.
What’s interesting about Salguero’s achievement is the details on his experience. Since the Pokewalker was released in America in 2010 (a year after Japan fans snagged it), Salguero mentioned that reaching the near 10 million total steps in three years is fair.
Additionally, he explained the reward players can pick up once they do hit the whopping 9,999,999 steps. “The reward is the Starf Berry,” Salguero said. Throughout the many generations of Pokemon games, Starf Berries served multiple purposes and was even considered a mirage at one point, but they are most known for their ability to sharply increase stats when a Pokemon is in a bind. However, it won’t help players evolve Pokemon or upgrade them, as leveling is no longer supported in Pokewalker, according to Salguero.
Take a look at Salguero’s max-out in the video below.
As most players know, reaching milestones and setting new records is a common occurrence in the gaming world. From attempting speed-shattering runs to seeing who can level a character up the quickest or obtain the most in-game items, it seems gamers have a healthy competition amongst one another to go the farthest, win the biggest, and even break the game entirely in efforts to surpass the top goal.
It is, admittedly, a bit surprising that not only Suica but also another user consistently used it, but when looking at the recent past, it doesn’t seem entirely out-there. Players have been attempting to best one another in other games more frequently as more complex titles are released, and the results are pretty impressive. One gamer finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild in an hour. Another completed a heart-stopping Nioh speed run in just over an hour and a half.
Although the Pokewalker is an older device, and could take up to seven years to reach the max-out goal, some players may be inclined to pick one up for themselves and tack another achievement under their gaming belts.
Source: Kotaku
